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UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS URBANA-CHAMPAIGN

Research Park

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    EnterpriseWorks News Recognition & Awards

    Intelliwheels Receives $1.5 Million Grant To Develop Multispeed Geared Wheels For Manual Wheelchairs

    CHAMPAIGN, IL, Aug. 4, 2014  — A $1.5-million grant will enable IntelliWheels, Inc. to advance development of ultra-lightweight, multi-geared wheels for manual wheelchairs. This new innovation will further wheelchair functionality, allowing manual wheelchair users to be more physically active and increase their independence, health and well-being. IntelliWheels received the Phase II SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) grant from the National Institutes of Health, National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development. “By using simple gearing we can create a more dynamic method of mobility, providing wheelchair users greater ability to interact in their environment,” said Marissa Siero, Co-Founder of IntelliWheels, Inc. The IntelliWheels i series will give wheelchair users the option to shift into high and low gears, providing the ability to independently maneuver hills, uneven surfaces and longer distances. IntelliWheels, Inc. will be working in collaboration with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee, and TiLite, a leading manufacturer of ultralight wheelchairs to conduct research on geared technology for wheelchair users as well as product development. “Funding like this from the NIH is an incredible tool to help designers, engineers, and inventors create the very best technology and design that every wheelchair user deserves.  It has an additional benefit that it supports US manufacturing and small businesses,” said Scott Daigle, M.S., PI and President, Co-Founder of IntelliWheels, Inc. About IntelliWheels IntelliWheels, Inc. is a product development company dedicated to innovating wheelchair technology and improving mobility options for wheelchair users. Utilizing wheelchair users’ feedback in the design process and product development phases enables IntelliWheels to create products for wheelchair users with optimal features and greater functionality. IntelliWheels believes in creating innovative products that can be used to increase a person’s ability to lead a more active and independent life.  IntelliWheels originated as a student startup from the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign. Intelliwheels recognized by: HME News, FinSMEs, BioSpace, News Gazette

    Intelliwheels Receives $1.5 Million Grant To Develop Multispeed Geared Wheels For Manual Wheelchairs Read Post »

    News Recognition & Awards

    University of Illinois Honored With “Innovation & Economic Prosperity University” Distinction

    The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) designated the University of Illinois an “Innovation and Economic Prosperity (IEP) University,” which recognizes institutions that work to advance the economic well-being of their states, regions, and the nation through a variety of exemplary, innovative, and sustainable efforts. The application process involved scrutinizing and analyzing not only the current innovational and entrepreneurial efforts, including Research Park, but also areas for future growth. While this distinction reflects the best endeavors the University has made to better its community and the nation, it also cements a bright future for the University of Illinois and its capacity to bring positive change to its communities. Research Park is humbled to have played a role in contributing to the local and global communities outside of the University.

    University of Illinois Honored With “Innovation & Economic Prosperity University” Distinction Read Post »

    News

    Chicago Tribune Highlights Research Park’s Ability to Capitalize on Student Talent

    The Chicago Tribune’s BlueSky tech magazine highlighted the talent development opportunities in the Research Park in a series about venture capitalists. Research Park was included in the second part of the series on July 8. One of the hallmarks of Research Park since its birth has been its location on campus. Unlike many other research facilities associated with universities, Research Park at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has been a magnet for talent, recruiting the most qualified students to work at one of over a hundred companies at the park. State Farm, Dow AgroSciences, and John Deere are among a multitude of companies that seek student talent. Although the companies of Research Park capitalize on the university’s top programs in engineering and business, the 400 students that are employed at any given time are hired from majors ranging from graphic design and advertising to mathematics and communication and a vast spectrum in between.

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    Media Mentions News Research Park

    Research Park Highly Attributed to Champaign Being “3rd Fastest-Growing City In Illinois”

    The Daily Illini showcased Research Park as the muscles behind Champaign’s status of being Illinois’ “3rd fastest-growing city.” Highlighted in the article is Research Park and its commitment to creating an environment that attracts not only big companies like Yahoo!, State Farm, and John Deere; but also a plethora of startup companies at the EnterpriseWorks Building. Besides strongly stimulating Champaign’s economy, the over one hundred companies also are committed to taking advantage of the incredible resources on campus, especially the talent of the students. At any given time, over 400 undergraduate and graduate students are employed by Research Park. Although the companies capitalize on the students of the premier programs such as engineering and business, students from other majors, ranging from advertising to data management, round out the other needs of the companies. Research Park is proud to have such a strong partnership with the University of Illinois and its vast talent of student resources that positively affects Champaign’s economy and pushes the city forward.

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    EnterpriseWorks Media Mentions News

    Chromatin’s Recent Success Highlighted in Crain’s Chicago Business

    Crain’s Chicago Business profiled the success of startup Chromatin, a graduate from the EnterpriseWorks incubator who currently has a 6,000-square foot footprint in the University of Illinois Research Park. Research Park is very proud of Chromatin’s team and their persistent diligence and hard work. Read the full featured article in Crain’s Chicago Business online. Today, Chromatin’s teams in Champaign and Texas, working with eight nurseries around the world, develop thousands of new varieties of sorghum each year from traditional cross-breeding; varieties containing the company’s patented mini-chromosomes are under development. The company, based in downtown Chicago, has 200 employees and tens of millions of dollars of annual revenue, though Ms. Preuss won’t disclose more exact numbers. In January, Chromatin raised $36 million in series E financing, with Wood Creek Capital Management of New Haven, Connecticut, leading the effort, raising its fetch to $70 million. John Banta, CEO of IllinoisVentures LLC, a Chicago early-stage investment firm that has invested in Chromatin, says Ms. Preuss is a rarity. “The cultural divide between the two settings”—a university research lab and a startup business—“can be great, which is why it is so unusual for later-stage CEOs to derive from the lab/classroom,” he says. Ms. Preuss, who holds a 1990 doctorate in biology from MIT, grew up in eastern Colorado. She saw herself becoming an inventor like her hero Thomas Edison, “deploying science to improve people’s lives.” As a teen, she worked in her family’s hardware distribution business, sweeping floors and making sales calls. She says her parents’ comeback from a fire that destroyed their warehouse helped inspire her own “rising from the ashes” story at Chromatin.

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    News Research Park

    Frerichs Visits Capitol Hill to Discuss Champaign-Urbana’s Growing Tech Sector

    University of Illinois Research Park Director Laura Frerichs visited the US Capitol today to address staff from the Illinois Congressional delegation about the tech industry in Illinois.  The Capitol Hill briefing on the state’s high-tech industry was organized by the Illinois Chamber of Commerce.  Frerichs discussed the growing technology sector in Champaign-Urbana at the Research Park, successful startup activity at EnterpriseWorks incubator, recruitment of students and internships, and a recent study completed by the EDA funded University Center at Illinois that profiled 18 incubators across the state of Illinois. Topics discussed at the event included technology workforce development, immigration reform, crowdfunding, entrepreneurship and incubation, STEM education including software coding for K-12, digital manufacturing and community colleges, connecting veterans to tech, and patent reform. Other speakers included: 1871, Orbitz, Google, Motorola Solution, Motorola Mobility, and TechAmerica.

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    News Partnerships & Acquisitions Research Park

    New Turn Research and Development Center to Focus on Data-Driven Marketing Technologies

    Silicon Valley-Based Turn Opens First Innovation Center at University of Illinois Research Park CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The University of Illinois today announced that Turn, the marketing software and analytics platform, will open an Innovation Center on campus for the research and development of new data-driven marketing technologies. The center is the company’s first outside of its Silicon Valley headquarters, and engineering work will focus on the full technology stack of the Turn platform. Along with attracting engineering talent excited by the prospect of joining a leading player in the fast-growing marketing software industry, Turn plans to collaborate with research faculty on joint R&D projects and to contribute to campus life through education outreach and seminar opportunities. “The Turn Innovation Center will give our students the opportunity to be at the forefront of the intersection of digital marketing and big data,” said Chancellor Phyllis Wise. “Such real-world experiences are an invaluable part of their education.” “The Turn Innovation Center at the University of Illinois brings us directly into the center of one of the nation’s top engineering campuses,” says Ali Dasdan, senior director of engineering, Turn. “We are building the smartest global enterprise technology company dedicated to solving the data problems marketers face. Some of the excellent talent here will help us to meet new challenges in solving those problems.” The Turn Innovation Center will be located within the University of Illinois Research Park, home to innovation centers for multinational corporations and publicly traded firms including Yahoo!, Anheuser-Busch InBev, John Deere, Caterpillar, Dow, Neustar, State Farm, Citrix, Raytheon, and Abbott. Ross Bundy has been appointed by Turn to lead the Turn Innovation Center at the University of Illinois. He has an extensive engineering background gained through his 20 years of experience at IBM, Motorola, Yahoo!, and Riverbed Technology.  About the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Since its founding in 1867, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has earned a reputation as a world-class leader in research, teaching, and public engagement. Located on campus, the Research Park at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a technology hub for startup companies and corporate research and development operations. Within the Research Park there are more than 90 companies employing students and full-time technology professionals. About Turn Turn delivers real-time insights that transform the way leading advertising agencies and enterprises make marketing decisions. Our integrated cloud platform enables data management, cross-channel advertising, and advanced analytics from a single login, along with point-and-click access to more than 130 integrated technology partners. Turn is headquartered in Silicon Valley and provides its products and services worldwide. Turn provides three real-time marketing applications: Audience Suite, an enterprise data management and audience planning platform; Campaign Suite, a digital media execution platform for video, mobile, social, and display advertising; and DataMine Analytics, a data exploration, discovery and warehousing solution purpose-built for marketers. Turn works with the world’s top brands, agencies and trading desks, including Accuen, Aegis, AMNET, Chrysler, Experian, Foursquare, Microsoft, OMD, StubHub, Thomas Cook, Toyota, Travelers, Verizon, VivaKi and Zales. For more information, follow @turnplatform. 

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    Media Mentions News Recognition & Awards Research Park

    Research Park Cited For Job Creation As Champaign Named Third Fastest Growing City In Illinois

    NerdWallet, a consumer advocacy website, recently conducted a study to find the fastest-growing cities in Illinois – and Champaign ranked third. The website specifically called out the Research Park as being a driver for economic development and growth. “Tech companies are expanding in Champaign, including new jobs added at Intel and an expansion of the Yahoo! offices at The Research Park at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The Research Park is also supporting job and income growth in Champaign through its startup incubator Enterprise Works, which supports science and technology startups with lab and office space, entrepreneurship classes and the resources of the university community.” For more on the Nerdwallet rankings, visit the story on its website.

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    Media Mentions News Research Park

    Dow Highlights Research Park Center in Annual Report

    The 2013 Dow Annual Report includes its new University of Illinois Research Park Dow Innovation Center as part of its strategy to leverage collaboration to speed innovation. “In addition, many of our approximately 6,400 researchers globally collaborate with research institutions and universities to accelerate the pace of innovation for breakthrough solutions. For example, as part of our Strategic University Partners program with 11 leading universities, Dow opened an innovation center in 2013 at the University of Illinois Research Park in Champaign to develop data management solutions to drive value within our R&D organizations.” Link to the report:  http://www.dow.com/investors/pdfs/2013_Full_Report.pdf

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    EnterpriseWorks News Recognition & Awards

    EP Purification Wins Clean Energy Challenge $100,000 Grand Prize

    EP Purification captured the $100,000 Wells Fargo Grand Prize for Clean Energy Entrepreneurship at the 2014 Clean Energy Trust Challenge on April 3. The EnterpriseWorks-based startup is devoted to the manufacturing of novel systems for the purification of water and air, based on microplasma technology developed at and licensed from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The company is led by Sung-Jin Park and Gary Eden, both University of Illinois engineering faculty. The Clean Energy Challenge is one of the nation’s most important clean energy business events. Finalists from the past three Challenge events have raised more than $40 million in outside investment, created 280 jobs and registered 40 patents and disclosures. Press coverage of the Clean Energy Trust Challenge: Crain’s Chicago Business :

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